Texas Governor Refuses To Release Capitol Emails With Elon Musk

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is refusing to release months of emails between his office and Elon Musk or representatives of Musk’s companies, arguing the communications are private, not of public interest, and potentially embarrassing, The Texas Tribune reported, via Lauren McGaughy.

After the news outlet paid the amount in full, the state reversed its position and claimed the records were not public after all. I Photo: Gage Skidmore Flickr

Musk played a major role in the recent Texas legislative session. His lobbyists successfully pushed for several new laws, and Abbott praised him as the inspiration behind Texas establishing its own government efficiency office.

Musk has relocated the headquarters of multiple companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, to Texas in recent years.

In April, The Texas Newsroom filed a request under state public records law for emails between Musk and the governor’s office dating back to last fall. The governor’s staff responded by estimating the search would take over 13 hours and would cost $244.64.

After the news outlet paid the amount in full, the state reversed its position and claimed the records were not public after all.

Bill Aleshire, a Texas attorney specializing in public records law, criticized the decision: “Right now, it appears they’ve charged you $244 for records they have no intention of giving you. That is shocking.”

Aleshire said while the state’s common-law privacy exemption is sometimes appropriate—for example, in cases involving children or medical records—it’s being improperly applied in this case involving a public official and a high-profile businessman.

“You’re boxing in the dark,” he added. “You can’t even see what the target is or what’s behind their claim.”